Is this the reason behind the #TaxiStrike?

Cape Town - Despite a deadline set for early August for the release of the taxi violence report, Transport and Public Works MEC Donald Grant said he wasn't going to rush its completion.

Grant said he had not yet seen the report.

At least nine taxi associations operating in Delft gave evidence on events that occurred on May 11 and 21, when two Delft taxi drivers were killed, as well as an incident where the chairperson of the Delft Taxi Association, Nazeem Daniels, was assassinated.

Grant said: “Lawyers of associations wanted to look at the output of the report and make adjustments. I don’t want to put too much pressure on them.”

Meanwhile, the Minibus Taxi Industry Task Team (MTITT) announced that it would be withdrawing services in the province today following issues with its umbrella body SA National Taxi Council (Santaco).

In a statement, the task team said that since September 2016 it had been raising concerns regarding leadership in the province.

The task team’s battle with Santaco went to the Western Cape High Court, where the court ruled in its favour, ordering Santaco to announce dates for regional and provincial upcoming Santaco executive elections.

“The MTITT has asked for a pre-elective conference to be held prior to the elections. Santaco national, in consultation with the provincial government, has announced the date for this to be August 6 (today) and take a certain format.

“However, they now refuse to honour the holding of the pre-elective conference as outlined. This has now left the minibus taxi industry with no alternative but to withdraw its services throughout the Western Cape effective from Monday (today) until such time as the conference is held,” the statement said.

Grant said he was informed by concerned taxi operators and the police’s Crime Intelligence Division about the threatened strike.

"On July 31, Santaco national attempted to inform the task team of what was to be called a ‘taxi industry indaba’ to be held (today). It is disappointing that the task team opted to walk out of this meeting.”

Grant said the task team was insisting on calling a pre-elective conference to drive its own agenda, ignoring the format as advised in the judgment.